Dubai: The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen dismissed an Al Houthi claim that it had struck the Saudi capital of Riyadh in a missile strike.

Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said the Houthi account was “fake and deceptive”.

Late Sunday, the Coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group targeting civilians in Jizan.

The attacks are part of an escalation of cross-border assaults in the four-year-old conflict between the Houthis and coalition forces.

The Houthis, who control the capital Sana’a, have in the past few months stepped up their attacks against targets in the kingdom. In response, the coalition has targeted military sites belonging to the group, especially around Sana’a.

“The Houthi militias continued targeting of civilians through drones and ballistic missiles ...is an act of aggression and terrorism and a war crime according to international human law,” Al Malki said in a statement.

The UAE condemned the attacks.

In a statement issued on Monday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation reiterated its full solidarity with the Kingdom over these terrorist attacks targeting civilians, affirming its support of all measures taken by Saudi authorities to secure the country’s security and stability, as well as any actions taken in the face of extremism and terrorism.

The Ministry pointed out that these continuous attacks illustrate the danger facing the region from the Houthi coup in Yemen, and stressed the need to continue to confront them [Houthis] to ensure security and stability in the region.

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